Guide [Issue 64] Game Changer: Cameras

[TheZigzagoonThatCan 678]

Note: This article was written by a potential EN Reporter Candidate under the supervision of @TheZigzagoonThatCan, who until having been officially added as a Candidate will remain anonymous.

 

 

Greetings, readers! There’s more to Tanki than capturing flags and blowing up other tanks; think about how those things are properly accomplished. Is it thanks to a supporting team? Is it because of your impact towards your team? These may contribute, however, prioritizing your effectiveness on the battlefield to provide a positive contribution for your team can be accomplished with consistency of focus and aim to strike your target.

 

How can you always keep these tactics? By having a clear shot on your enemy, of course. How can you make sure you can always see your opponent while at the same time holding an advantageous position? Certainly through the position of your camera. Adjusting your camera angles is a main supportive trait for an individual player to effectively use, which this guide will cover more of. Let’s dive in!

 

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Applying Adjustment In Multiple Scenarios

 

Shoot Them Before They Shoot You

This is my best attempt to carry out a spawn kill. Quite surprisingly, it can be done efficiently if your attention span is consistently broad, and your reactions are swift. The goal here is to knock your enemy off of their tracks, to where perfect timing causes you and your team to successfully destroy your enemy without receiving any return fire, at least from that one enemy.

 

Changing your camera angles with Q & E (or some other combination that you’ve set your controls to operate at) can be very optimal for gameplay, specifically in CTF battles when approaching your enemies’ base. You will want to get used to changing camera angles frequently, as this will be able to help you significantly not only in CTF battles, but for DM, TDM, and even CP battles.

 

Changing camera angles is the key to keeping your eyes on your enemies, and by practicing with these processes over and over in each battle you play in, you’ll develop a skill that you can attain even blindfolded. Jokes aside, properly adjusting your camera angles will end up being your element to success in the long run.

 

There’s an additional tactic that combines well with adjusting your camera angles, and that would be ensuring that you get a shot before your enemy is able to. This can be done by staying close to your enemies’ base, preferably hiding behind a wall, and once you spot an enemy that is in their spawning phase, that’s your signal to get moving.

 

At this point, approach their tank in the best manner possible as they're spawning, and stay within their ghost. While doing this, you’ll want to turn your turret around as well as prepare to fire as your tank will be out of their ghost as you move in separate directions.

 

What also can be useful is ensuring that you’re in a diagonal position with your spawned enemy as you fire at them, to ensure if they return fire, that they’ll most likely miss. Not only adjusting your camera angles is important to carrying this out successfully, but proper timing, patience, and aim are essential to ensuring that your enemy will be destroyed, not you.

 

Even after that one enemy is destroyed, you’ve still got a team of enemies against your team, so ensure that these tactics will always be possible for you. Even while dealing with one enemy, you have to be prepared to deal with the others in the area, or at least find a way to complete your objectives with them around. Drive into your enemies’ base, ensuring that there aren’t any other targets that may distract you from your ghostly enemy that’s about to spawn. You’ll want to use Q to slightly raise your camera while using Z & X not only to turn your turret, but also to prepare yourself for any surprise attacks; consistent left & right turns will give you an improved overview of your surroundings resulting in these being reduced.

 

 

 

 

Approach Them Before They Approach You

Keeping the tips above in mind while applying this next trick on the battlefield has the ability to provide you with astonishing results if carried out correctly. Notice how I first approach the enemies’ base with a high level of awareness. You’ll need to think quick, yet precisely. Are your opponents approaching you? Do you have enough area to escape their fiery path? Would you be compromising too many health points to take them on? You’ll want to make sure your surroundings are clear before approaching your opponent, especially if you’re in their territory. These are among the first steps to nailing a move on the battlefield.

 

Once you spot an enemy, observe their movements in a timely manner, as well any nearby backup. You'll want to keep an eye out for those types of red flags if you wish to successfully flatten a single challenger. Notice how I keep adjusting my camera angle to keep everyone in sight. I put this factor into effect to have some sort of assurance that I won’t have anyone sneak up behind me. Combine these tactics with a supportive team, and there won’t be a single spot unchecked on the battlefield.

 

 

 

 

Surprise Him Before He Surprises You

Keeping your attention intact is a valuable resource that has been mentioned multiple times throughout this article. You’ll want to keep your eyes peeled and your camera angles properly adjusted to spot the smallest mishaps.

 

Notice how at the very start of the GIF, there’s a hardly visible Isida firing at my teammate as I start driving down the ramp, only detected by the beam attached to him. Once I notice it, I quickly do my best to return and as I drive back up the ramp expecting the Isida to follow my retreating teammate to the top floor. How did I know that the Isida would make that move? Since Isida is a short range turret, getting closer would be logical, since hiding on the ramp would most likely accomplish nothing, while dealing any damage possible may lead to a takedown, but unfortunately for our Isida here, it didn’t work out. As a response to his movement, I fired a shot towards the enemy to weaken him, resulting in my teammate easily being able to eliminate him from our base’s presence.

 

 

 

 

See Them Before They See You

Approaching a ramp that leads to the enemies’ base (or any blind corner, for the matter) is something that should be done with caution to properly carry out a move to eliminate your enemy. Notice how I adjust my camera angle to where my enemy does not notice me, but I notice him. This trick is especially useful for spying down ramps with unsuspecting enemies approaching you.

 

Adjusting your camera angles can be used to make a judgement call of when the appropriate time to fire is. Once you’re sure, fire a shot towards your enemy, and drive away from the ramp in order to prevent yourself from receiving any return fire. In this case, hiding under another ramp was a quick and reliable decision to defend myself during combat.

 

 

 

Shoot Him Before He's Able To Get Away

Nothing can become more simple than this, except maybe figuring out how to screw in a light bulb. When you’re moving in on your enemy, you’ll want to position your camera angles to where you have a clean view of your enemy, in order to determine whether to fire a shot or not. Once you feel the time is right to fire a shot, fire away, but as mentioned before, drive back up the ramp to prevent any return fire. Once you’re reloaded and that specific coast is clear, feel free to repeat this process.

 

 

 

 

The Wild Goose Chase

This trick can effectively lead your enemy into a fruitless chase around a large object if you’ve got your camera adjusting skills appropriately tweaked. You’ll want to keep an eye out at all angles if you’re defending your base, mainly because your enemies can easily show up from nowhere. Stay close to a building, once your enemy spots you, use that building to your advantage.

 

Once your enemy starts approaching you, fire one shot at them, then approach the backside of the building. Stall your enemy by staying out of their reach from behind the corner of your building to gain another reload, then at the appropriate time, fire back at your enemy enough times to eliminate their presence from your base. Hold Q to raise your camera in order to achieve a bird’s eye view of your enemy from above.

 

 

 

 

Adjusting Camera Angles to Successfully Steal the Flag

Keep all of the above mentioned tips in mind when trying to fully carry out an attack on your enemies. Always keep your camera angles moving by turning your turret, combined with moving your camera up and down as this will provide you with an extremely full insight of what’s occurring around you on the battlefield. If you’re playing in large maps, be sure to not adjust your camera angles too high or too low as this is likely to distract you from efficient gameplay. For small maps, it’s the other way around; having your camera set at either a high angle or a low angle would be beneficial as you’ll be able to have a comfortable point of view. If you’re moving at high speeds, adjusting your camera angles can also help you see where you’re going, even if you’re driving backwards. Carry these tips out successfully with a team that came to win, and you’ll have multiple flag steals on the board.

 

 

 

 

Adjusting Camera Angles To Successfully Watch Your Base

Keep every defensive tip mentioned above in mind while doing your best to defend your base of any enemies. Keeping your camera angle high above the ground is key to making sure that you’ve got eyes on your base, and the ways to approach your base. If your base contains ramps, adjust your camera angle to go downwards to peek inside of the ramps to make sure they’re clear as well.

 

 

 

 

Virtual Spectator

 

Virtual spectator, also known as fake spec or modeless spectator is a handy tool used by many to record footage of rank ups, gameplays, and events. This is the go-to tool to use when a player isn’t able to obtain the official spectator mode. Although virtual spectator may take a while to get used to and may even take longer to properly craft skills with, the wait will be worth it in the long run with stunning footage as if the official spectator mode was used. This is the goal of crafting skill with this tool, to be free of any limits to put your imagination into its full effect.

 

 

Using Virtual Spectator with a Steady Camera

Virtual spectator with a steady camera is primarily used for photoshoots, recording gameplay and rankups. The idea behind this is to have a still camera closely positioned to the target of recording, without having your tank in sight, this will provide more of a real spectator mode feel, however, there’s much more to maintaining an official spectator mode feel.

 

When moving your tank out of sight, make sure that it’s in a safe place away from combat due to the fact that if your tank is destroyed while your virtual spectator is properly adjusted, do keep in mind that you will have to repeat the process of setting up your virtual spectator, which means resetting your camera back to default, going back to where you need to have your camera set, and re-entering the code to re-adjust your camera angle.

 

Do know your controls well. Q will make your camera angle point down, while E will make your camera angle point up. This may be a tad confusing considering that when your default camera angles are controlled with Q & E, they are oppositely natured. For Modeless Spectator, Q will make your camera angle point up, while E will make your camera angle point down. Moving your camera left and right can be accomplished by using the Z & X keys. Z is used to turn left, while X is used to turn right.

 

Mouse controls are also able to be used with virtual spectator, although it is recommended to use an actual mouse, not a trackpad. Moving your mouse left and right is able to turn your camera left and right, while scrolling up and down will cause your camera to point up and down. Depending on the mouse you have, moving your camera up and down with your scroll wheel may not be smooth, due to the fact that some mice do have retractions inside of the scroll wheel, while other mice have a smooth scroll wheel. With a smooth scroll wheel, expect fluid movement while adjusting your view vertically.

 

This is a much better way to control virtual spectator with a steady camera if you find the key controls to be a bit confusing. It may take a few tries to become effective with it; however, you can adjust mouse look sensitivity in the settings, the spoiler below indicates the most efficient setting for most computer mice. Although this may not be the optimal setting to have your mouse at, do try to adjust the level to satisfy your necessities.

 

How To Adjust Camera Angles for Virtual Spectator - Steady Mode:

 

Steady Camera Angle: Professional Demonstration:

 

 

Using Virtual Spectator With A Free Camera

 

Virtual spectator with a free camera is primarily used for rank ups and recording gameplays. Due to its free moving characteristic, this is less commonly used for photoshoots. The idea behind this mode is to have flexibility when recording videos. This includes being able to have a more realistic spectator experience, simply due to the fact that you’re able to execute similar movement compared to types of movement that can be achieved with the official spectator mode.  

 

Since your tank will have to make movements to activate a moving motion acting as a floating camera, mastering the skill of driving your tank around to not only obtain footage, but also to avoid any obstacles in your way, e.g. buildings and other tanks. There is a positive note to keep in mind though, adjusting the camera angle using CTRL Shift K will not be necessary if your tank gets destroyed in the process. The only approach you need to take to re-activate this mode in case your tank is destroyed is simply by just moving your tank. Do keep in mind that the faster your tank is, the faster your camera will move, and the less likely that your tank will be popping up in your footage.

 

Stay aware with the controls that you need to use in order to execute a successful video shoot. The key here to keep your floating camera active is to keep your tank moving, which can be done using the arrow keys. If you want to make your camera go left and right, the Z & X keys are the way to do that. Using the Q & E keys can be extremely helpful with maintaining higher and lower views of what you’re trying to focus on with recording. Again, as similar with the steady mode, Q & E keys are oppositely assigned than they are with normal usage. While you’re using virtual spectator, Q will point the camera down, while E will point the camera up, do keep that in mind while recording footage.

 

Another thought to keep in mind is that using mouse controls to move your camera around can be extremely helpful in most cases. Using your mouse, you can move your camera view left and right by moving your mouse left and right, if you want to change your vertical view, you can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to do so. In some cases, your mouse may include some type of retraction to prevent smooth scrolling, in cases like this, resort to using Q & E to adjust your vertical view.

 

Be aware that if you’re left handed, you’ll want to remain using the arrow keys to drive your tank, however if you’re right handed, you’ll want to get comfortable using the W, A, S, and D keys as these are able to drive your tank as well. Also a good thing to keep in mind would be that controls are completely customizable by using the in-game control settings. Whichever option is most comfortable for you to accomplish a steady video shoot, your goals have the full potential to become astounding.

 

How To Adjust Camera Angles for Virtual Spectator - Free Mode:

 

Free Moving Camera Angle: Professional Demonstration:

 

 

 

It actually turns out that there’s more to capturing flags and blowing up other tanks than simply driving and shooting. Setting your imagination free can lead you to create amazing content; maintaining your skills to move your camera efficiently can too. Keeping your attention intact is major to carrying out a successful attack on your enemies, as well as keeping your base safe. Adjusting your camera angles efficiently would be a difficult task without having your attention intact, and vice versa, oddly enough. You can prevent being destroyed while carrying out an attack, you can prevent having your base being taken over by your enemies... is there anything that changing your camera angles can’t allow you to detect?

 

 

Well, except maybe that.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Note: This article was written by a potential EN Reporter Candidate under the supervision of @TheZigzagoonThatCan, who until having been officially added as a Candidate will remain anonymous.

 

 

[Ninja 10,468]

Brilliant article for beginners, I can see myself recommending this to others quite a lot.

[Kurt_KurtDGreat 2,259]

Quite a cool article, anonymous guy :p ^_^

[Guest Maserati]

Damn very informative, I like it

I'm sure a candidate didn't write this, too good to be true. (not saying candidates are bad)

[Claudiu 562]

Best, american confimed, if you don't make him official mod, you don't know what quality is, very nice whoever you are!

[sre123 595]

Noice.,

Edited May 18, 2017 by sre123

[Prince_Of_Railgun290 320]

Very nice article

[QuinnP 105]

AGReeed

[Hex 11,520]

wrote this right?

Maybe  :ph34r:

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

How come this article has no tag?

[Hex 11,520]

How come this article has no tag?

Some Issues are still awaiting tags.

[Mjro7 2,837]

Cool Article :D